Time Spent By Adolescents on Social Media Linked to Mental Health Issues

Time Spent By Adolescents on Social Media Linked to Mental Health Issues

After accounting for factors including a history of mental health problems, study authors report that adolescents who used social media more than three hours a day were more likely to report internalizing problems (these can include depression, anxiety and loneliness), as well as symptoms of both internalizing and externalizing (such as aggression and antisocial behavior) problems but not externalizing problems alone compared with adolescents who reported no social media use.

‘Excess social media usage is linked to depression, anxiety, loneliness, aggression and antisocial behavior. Restricting the time spent on social media and proper counseling could address the mental health issues in adolescents.’Read More..

Limitations of the study include that time spent on social media and information about internalizing and externalizing problems were self-reported, and other factors not accounted for by study authors may help to explain the results.